A Jury has reached a verdict in the Karen Read murder trial, a Massachusetts woman accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend in 2022, finding her not guilty of all charges. The verdict came nearly a year after her first trial ended in a mistrial.
Read faced serious charges stemming from the death of her boyfriend, Officer John O’Keefe, who was found outside the Canton home of another officer, Brian Albert, during a snowstorm in January 2022.
Prosecutors alleged that Read had struck O’Keefe with her SUV and left him to die in the snow. They charged her with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating a vehicle under the influence, and leaving the scene of personal injury and death.
The defense presented a sharply different narrative. They argued that Read’s vehicle never hit O’Keefe. Instead, they claimed O’Keefe was assaulted—possibly by individuals inside the house—and then left outside during the blizzard. The defense also suggested he had been mauled by a dog, adding another layer of mystery to the already complex case.
After the jury began deliberations on June 13, they submitted four questions to the judge, including whether a hung jury on one charge would affect the verdicts on the others. Judge Beverly Cannone declined to provide a direct answer, calling it a “theoretical question.”
In a confusing moment on Wednesday, the judge told the courtroom that the jury had initially indicated they had reached a verdict during lunch—only to later say they had not. The sealed verdict slip from that moment was not opened, and the judge reminded the court that a verdict isn’t official until it’s announced publicly.
This was Read’s second trial after her 2024 proceedings ended in a hung jury. At that time, her attorneys said the jury had agreed she was not guilty of second-degree murder and leaving the scene but could not agree on the DUI-related manslaughter charge.
Read’s legal team had appealed her retrial all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that retrying her on charges where the jury had reportedly reached consensus would constitute double jeopardy. All appeals were denied.
Throughout both trials, Read never took the stand. “I am not testifying,” she told reporters on June 10. “They’ve heard my voice, my interviews—they’ve heard enough from me.”